Coca-Cola establishes its own recycled PET manufacturing unit in Ploiesti, Romania, making it the first local beverage producer.

Bucharest - For the first time in Romania, a beverage producer will internally manufacture recycled PET intended for packaging for its beverages. The Coca-Cola system in Romania, formed by the companies Coca-Cola Romania and Coca-Cola HBC Romania, has installed a PET flake decontamination unit in the factory in Ploiesti, the second largest factory within the Coca-Cola HBC Group, thereby acquiring unique capabilities to produce recycled PET (rPET) in-house. The investment supports the transition of the entire PET packaging portfolio of the Coca-Cola System to 100% recycled PET (rPET), through the possibility of a constant supply of food grade recycled plastic. By turning old containers into new ones, the investment helps create a circular packaging economy with less carbon emissions generated.

"Efforts to improve our activity from an environmental perspective have been constant throughout our local presence, supported by continuous investment in operations and sustainability. The investment in the own rPET production unit is a pioneering initiative on the local market and places Romania as the second country within the Coca-Cola HBC group to use such an innovative technology through which it is possible to obtain recycled material that complies with the highest standards quality and food safety. We are proud of this achievement, made possible by the determination of the local team, the collaboration with the institutional and private partners in Romania.

The investment in this rPET production unit was approved to become operational at the same time as the largest circular economy project ever implemented in Romania: the Guarantee-Return System, which will become operational at the end of the year. We have been involved from the beginning in this joint effort of beverage manufacturers, retailers and the Government of Romania and we are confident that we will have a successful system with the potential to boost the separate collection of plastic, glass or aluminum beverage packaging. Through SGR, beverage manufacturers will be able to access quality raw material to use in their packaging. At the same time, we are confident that in a short time the Guarantee-Return System in Romania will become an example of good practice for the rest of the European states that will implement it" - Jovan Radosavljevic, General Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Romania

"We have a responsibility to contribute to solving the global challenge of packaging waste and we aim to make a change for the better through everything we do: the way our drinks are made, the design of the packaging and what happens to it after what drinks are consumed. And this inauguration, as well as the constant innovations and investments over the years, demonstrate our dedication to fulfilling this commitment. We are all part of this project, together with our partners, but also with consumers in Romania, to whom we will soon offer all our products in 100% recycled PET packaging. Together we can contribute to change, and our message is simple: every simple gesture counts - every PET bottle collected separately can be given a new life." – Mark Docherty, General Manager, Coca-Cola Romania

The investment comes in the context of a broad strategy of long-term investment in state-of-the-art equipment with a positive impact on the efficiency of operations and the environment. In the last 5 years, the Coca-Cola system in Romania invested approximately 1 billion lei to improve and expand production capacity. These investments represent an opportunity to create value and further contribute to the local economy by creating new jobs along the value chain and higher revenues for the state budget.

How the rPET manufacturing facility works      

After sorting the PET packaging in a specialized facility, they will be transformed into PET flakes, which the company will purchase from suppliers that are constantly checked and audited to meet the demanding quality standards of the food industry. In the factory in Ploiești, the PET flakes will go through the last stages of the recycling process, namely the introduction into the sorting equipment, followed by their decontamination in order to be brought to the quality and safety standards specific to the food industry - a progressive process that involves the elimination of materials foreign, melting, decontamination and then turning the rPET resin into granules. Finally, the resulting rPET granules will be produced into preforms and then beverage containers. rPET bottles can be collected and recycled again.  

Investment and benefits

• The installation of the new decontamination line follows a green investment of 55 million RON (€11m), of which 17.5 million RON represents state aid.
• The investment comes in the context of a broad long-term investment strategy in state-of-the-art equipment with a positive impact on the efficiency of operations and the environment. In the last 5 years, the Coca-Cola system in Romania has invested approximately 1 billion lei (€200m) to improve production capacity and will continue.
• The main advantage of in-house decontamination of PET flakes is the availability of quality raw material - recycled PET - a limited resource, taking into account the very strict food safety standards it must meet in order to be used in beverage containers .
• The new line will facilitate the completion of the transition to 100% rPET packaging for the company's entire product portfolio. Since 2019, only the Dorna natural mineral water brand was available in rPET packaging, following that, from this autumn, the other brands, namely Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, Cappy, Cappy Pulpy and Fuzetea, will be bottled in packaging from 100% recycled PET.
• The project is also being developed in line with the company's goals to reduce carbon emissions to net zero, along the entire value chain, by 2040. The transition of the entire portfolio to rPET will also mean a significant reduction in emissions, given that flakes rPET has an 80% lower carbon footprint than PET resin, and the rPET production facility uses 100% renewable electricity, meaning no carbon emissions generated.
• The company's active involvement in supporting the Guarantee-Return System on the local market is yet another concrete example of the commitment to create a truly circular economy for packaging in Romania.

In Romania, as in all the countries where it operates, Coca-Cola owns and operates on the basis of its own system, including all the links necessary for the production and distribution of products to consumers. On a local level, the System consists of Coca-Cola Romania (subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, owner of the registered trademarks) and its partner, Coca-Cola HBC Romania, which bottles and distributes Coca-Cola products under The Coca-Cola Company license in Romania.

About Coca-Cola HBC Romania

Coca-Cola HBC is one of the largest bottlers of the Coca-Cola Company. Together with our customers, we serve 715 million people, covering a vast geographical area, in 29 countries and 3 continents. Our portfolio is one of the most powerful, complex and flexible in the beverage industry, offering consumers prestigious brands across the carbonated drinks, juices, water, energy, teas, coffee and premium spirits categories. We generate value for all our partners by supporting the socio-economic development of the communities where we operate and we believe that having a positive impact on the environment is vital for the future development of the business.

Coca-Cola HBC has been confirmed as the world's most sustainable beverage company, according to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)*.

Leader of the local beverage industry, with 3 factories in Ploiesti, Timișoara and Poiana Negrii, Coca-Cola HBC Romania is an important contributor to the development of society and the local economy. The Coca-Cola HBC Romania team has an average of 1,500 employees.

According to the "Socio-economic Impact of the Coca-Cola System in Romania" study, based on financial data from 2022, the presence of this system on the local market generates an added value of 613 million euros, equivalent to 0.21% of GDP Romania.